This invention relates to machines for cutting open poultry for evisceration.
Recently, poultry processing plants have become automated to a large extent. For example, machines such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,017 are now used to stun the birds for processing. Killing itself may be performed by apparatus such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,029. After killing, the bird feathers may be picked by the machinery exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,159. The oil glands may be removed by the use of a machine such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,682, and the vent removed by apparatus like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,440.
Though the just mentioned poultry processing steps have been successfully automated one process step has heretofore eluded successful automation and thus continued to be done manually in actual practice. Specifically, machinery has not been devised to adequately perform the opening cut upon the fowls to enable the viscera to be extracted. This lack of success has been attributable principally to the location where opening incisions are preferably made, namely just beneath in the tail. The birds are normally processed in an inverted position with their hocks suspended by shackles pivotally mounted to an overhead conveyor line. This orientation places the tail region roughly midway down the bird body while the pivotal mounting enables the birds to be manipulated along the process line. This orientation, location, and suspension has rendered it quite difficult to devise machinery which may positively grip and direct the tail regions of the birds over cutting apparatus since engagement by machinery structural elements typically creates a moment which causes the bird to rebound away from the apparatus laterally to one side of the conveyor line. Furthermore, even where gripping is achieved such often places a drag on the birds causing their lower regions to pivot rearwardly into interference with the next successive bird.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide opening cut machines for opening poultry for evisceration.
Another object of the invention is to provide machines for automatically making opening cuts in the tail region of poultry pivotally suspended from shackles moving in a conveyor line.